Lungren Joins House Leadership and Committee Chairs in Opposition to Proposed Executive Order; Calls it a Brazen Attempt to Force Partisan Policies Rejected by Congress

Today, after joining House Republican leaders and committee chairs in a letter urging President Obama not to issue a proposed Executive Order giving federal contractors the ability to award or deny contracts based on the political activity of a company's employees, Committee on House Administration Chairman Dan Lungren, R-Calif., issued the following statement:

"This brazen attempt to skirt the legislative process and force partisan policies rejected by Congress last year is a blatant political maneuver.

"The President's proposed regulations, which clearly circumvent the intent of Congress, give certain groups – likely to support his 2012 campaign – a pass on restrictive, duplicative reporting requirements designed to stifle political speech. Even worse, it gives the Administration the ability to award or deny contracts based on the personal political preference of a company's employees.

"As Congress determined last year, this biased approach to selective free speech does not pass muster and should be abandoned. Instead of looking for regulatory solutions to his party's campaign problems, the President should focus on the mounting problems plaguing individuals and American companies growing increasingly frustrated with Washington."

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